Filed under: Cellphones

We won’t embarrass you by asking when the last time you read a book was, but we know good and well you’ll be fixated on this here PDF. As the run-up to the long-awaited release of Sony Ericsson’s XPERIA X1 continues, the outfit has been kind enough to post up the official 26-page user guide for all to see. Granted, you pretty much know everything that’s in there, but if you’re looking to hone your battery changing skills before taking possession of one, the appropriate documentation is just a click away.

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Filed under: Cellphones

There’s really no denying it — T-Mobile’s G1 and Sony Ericsson’s XPERIA X1 are two of the hottest mobiles around right now, and as predicted, all sorts of sparks flew when the two sat down for a side-by-side photo session. In a Dutch comparison of the two handsets, reviewers pointed out that the G1 was “significantly larger” than the SE counterpart, and while it’s completely subjective, they also asserted that the X1 was a “true piece of art in comparison to the dusty look of the G1 [nice one, Google Translator].” Do yourself a favor and check out the whole thing in the read link.

[Via CoolSmartphone]

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Filed under: Cellphones

We’ve always wondered when we’d see a KIRF that was actually more desirable than the original, and while this ripped T700 isn’t quite as succulent at SE’s own T700, it’s closer than most… on the outside. This touchscreen-based cellphone (which is obviously masquerading as a camera) supposedly sports a Carl Zeiss lens, a 5x optical zoom (seriously?), 8-megapixel sensor, a microSD slot and easily one of the nastiest user interfaces we’ve ever had the displeasure of laying eyes on. Hit the read link if you’re into that type of sick stuff , and jump on past the break for a front side shot.

[Via MobileMentalism]

Continue reading Keepin’ it real fake, part CXLII: Sony Ericsson’s T700 gets a twin (sans Ericsson)

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Filed under: Cellphones

“Planned” and “executed” are two very different things, and while we knew Sony Ericsson was mulling the idea of hacking 2,000 jobs, the hammer has finally fallen in Research Triangle Park, NC. The company will soon be axing 450 employees at its North American headquarters as part of a large reorganization, with most everyone knowing by the week’s end whether they’ll stay or go. According to Aldo Ligouri, Sony Ericsson’s head of global communications and public relations, the RTP cuts are “part of company-wide changes that Sony Ericsson announced in July,” and in whatever context, he added that “this is our map of how we see things moving forward.” Just to put things in perspective, the outfit only has about 750 workers in the North Carolina-based facility, which is primarily seen as an R&D hub. Tough news to hear, no matter how you spin it.

[Image courtesy of Flickr]

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Filed under: Cellphones, Portable Audio

Nothing like a pair of high-brow Europeans slapping each other in the streets, huh? In response to Nokia’s forthcoming Comes with Music service, Sony Ericsson is confirming rumors by announcing a competing unlimited music download service dubbed Play Now Plus. The service, which will be available “solely through telecoms operators,” will provide subscribers with access to millions of tunes, and customers can even keep up to 300 jams after their 6- to 18-month contract expires. According to SE’s marketing head Lennard Hoornik, it’ll be rockin’ on Telenor within a few weeks, and it will spread from Sweden into more of Western Europe in Q1 2009 and into other world markets in Q2 2009. We’re told that the service will run early adopters 99 Swedish crowns ($15) per month, and so far as we can tell, you don’t have to have a specific SE phone to get in on the action.

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Filed under: Cellphones

Though it may never live the proper life it should have, Sony Ericsson’s now-canned W707 is alive and well in these spy shots. Of course, being that the Alicia is officially dead, you won’t find any updated specifications or a super-secret release date, but the gallery of images in the read link is a mighty fine look at what could’ve been. It’s never too late, SE…

[Via DailyMobile, thanks Daniel]

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Filed under: Cellphones

We’re hoping beyond hope that Sony Ericsson’s XPERIA X1 is actually nearing a launch date, but astute reader Kingsley just pointed out to us that SE’s US web site no longer lists silver as an available color choice, only Solid Black. That’s notable only because we’ve only mostly seen silver editions of the X1 until now, but a limited color palette’s not going to stop us from snapping this one up as soon as it hits — what about you?

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Filed under: Cellphones

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Filed under: Cellphones, Peripherals, Wearables

Sony Ericsson’s finishing off the onslaught today from Singapore with a trio of colorful Bluetooth headsets, perfect for anyone who doesn’t mind talking straight ahead and receiving all sorts of weird glances from other patrons in the local mall. The HBH-PV715, HBH-PV720 and HBH-PV740 arrive in a variety of colors / patterns, boast at least 10-hours of talk time (and 700-hours in standby), and DSP / automatic volume adjustment. The units are aimed at value-driven, fashion-conscience and business-oriented consumers in order of mention, and while specifics (you know, like price) aren’t stated, the trifecta will show up in “select markets” in Q4.

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Filed under: Cellphones

We’ve seen plenty of gear co-branded by high-end automakers, but only Ducati’s really putting out bike-themed gear, and the latest gadget to get dressed up in cycle gear is the Sony Ericsson Z770 flip phone. Due out in Italy this June, the Ducati Z770 isn’t anything particularly special apart from that paint job and a special Ducati-themed HBH DS-220 headset, but if you’re into tri-band GSM non-smartphones with slightly better browsers, it’s not a bad piece of kit. Just remember to take your keys out of your bike when you wander off chatting away, alright?

[Via UnwiredView]

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Filed under: Cellphones

We came across a pair of phone patents today so patently palatable that we couldn’t help but dish ‘em out together. First up is Sony Ericsson’s bright idea to shove radar in cellphones. According to the application, the built-in technology could work hand-in-hand with the GPS module and camera to obtain a position, calculate distance to target, determine position / speed of said target using Doppler analysis and present the finalized information to the owner. Over on Nokia’s side, the firm has apparently been working on a number of new designs and UI tweaks, even going so far as to draw up a handset with an integrated kickstand. Check out the links below if you’re hungry for more where this came from.

Read - Sony Ericsson patent application
Read - Nokia patent application

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Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

The first Pasen iTouch was almost comically bad, but we’ll give the company a little credit for trying again with the iTouch SE, which just popped up in video unboxing form on YouTube. We were a little intrigued by the SE’s XviD and DivX support when we first heard about it, but wow — that interface might finally be usably fast, but it managed to get even uglier, still ridiculously requires double-clicking and now apparently also involves a pen. Third time’s the charm, we guess. Check the full vid after the break.

Continue reading Pasen iTouch SE demoed on video: the goggles do nothing

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Filed under: Cellphones, Wearables

Considering the hordes of utterly unsightly timepieces that find their way into our browsers, we’ve got to hand it to Sony Ericsson — it’s done a pretty fine job at keeping its name attached to watches that are, you know, wearable. That being said, we’re not surprised to see such an intriguing patent app surface from the aforementioned firm, and honestly, we’d be even less shocked if this thing eventually went beyond the drawing board. As the picture above partially demonstrates, SE has envisioned a watch with LCD hands along with an LCD display resting behind ‘em, theoretically enabling the hands to “vanish” while users peek a quick video or read a text message on the screen beneath. Call us crazy, but we’re pretty sure even the likes of Bond and Tracy would approve of this.

[Via Cellpassion]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Cellphones, Digital Cameras

Generally speaking, the cameras that come built in to today’s mobiles are less than astounding, but a recent Sony Ericsson patent application could make ‘em a bit more worthwhile. The patent describes a scenario where a user could input commands by simply gesturing in front of the lens, and the phone would then be able to decode certain actions and react accordingly. Apparently, one could answer a phone (in handsfree fashion, of course) from across the room with just a flick of the wrist, and tracks streaming over Bluetooth could be controlled by waving your hands like you just don’t care. Granted, users would still have to be where the handset could see them, but aside from that, the idea’s not too shabby.

[Via UnwiredView]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

Pasen’s first iTouch earned it a spot in the KIRF Hall of Fame, but it looks like the company is trying hard to go clean with this revised model, the iTouch SE. Like the original iTouch, the SE features a 2.83-inch QVGA touchscreen and decent format support including DivX, XviD, AVI, MP3, WMA, and FLAC, but Pasen’s ditched the faux-iPhone look for a sleek white shell with single button. Let’s just hope they refined that incredibly slow and janky interface.

[Via PMP Today]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Cellphones

It sure looks like Sony Ericsson is keeping itself busy these days, with the company now following up word of its latest hardware with an announcement of its plans for its upcoming PlayNow Arena service. That, as you can probably guess, is an upgraded version of the company’s existing PlayNow service, although it seems that it’ll be a good deal more than just a music service. There will still be plenty of goodies on that front, however, including the TrackID service mentioned on those new handsets, which’ll let you identify a snippet of music off the radio and then grab it straight off the PlayNow Arena service. Even more interestingly, Sony Ericsson says that Arena will be an “open multimedia platform” that “welcomes everyone,” which it says will lead to an even wider range of games and other “mobile entertainment experiences.” It also promises to be compatible with a “wide range” of Sony Ericsson phones, although the company isn’t getting much more specific than that at the moment. Expect to hear plenty more in the coming months, however, with the service itself set to roll out in “selected markets” in the second quarter of next year.

[Via LetsGoMobile]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Cellphones

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Cellphones

Just in case two recently announced Sony Ericsson mobiles weren’t enough for one day, along comes the K630 to quell your grumbling. This handset sports a slightly less impressive feature set than the other two newcomers, but it ought to put a noticeably smaller dent in your wallet to compensate. Nevertheless, the K630 will be available in Havana Gold and Quick Black and will feature HSDPA, Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync preloaded, a two-megapixel camera, 256MB M2 card, built-in Media Browser, an FM tuner, support for MP3 / AAC / WMA formats, Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP, video recording at 15fps and USB connectivity. Mum’s the word on pricing at the moment, but look for it to land in “select markets” during Q4. Check out a video of the device right over here.

[Thanks, tootie_boy]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!